Booked a hotel room—$149 a night, right? Then bam, there’s this $55 “cleaning” charge tacked on. For what, a complimentary gold-plated vacuuming? Are they laundering the curtains in unicorn tears? I’ve never figured it out. The wild part is, these chains never mention cleaning fees until you’re knee-deep in the booking process or sometimes hide them under “service” or “resort” fees. If you’re budgeting for a trip, good luck—you’ll need a spreadsheet, psychic powers, or both. The FTC says they’re finally looking into hidden fees (yeah, sure), but somehow, every big chain just “forgets” to spell out the real total until the very last step—transparency is a myth, apparently.

Here’s what gets me: Airbnb hosts send you a novella of house rules and you just roll with it, but hotels? They just slap you with a mystery fee after you’ve already mapped out your trip. I’ve asked other travel writers and they’re always like, “Just call the hotel.” So I call. The front desk staff acts baffled, every time, like I’m the first person ever to notice. One Hilton manager laughed, muttered “corporate policy,” then tried to upsell me an “upgrade” for another fee. Bold. I’ve seen more people complaining lately—business travelers, wedding guests, random families—nobody wants to pay extra for “tidy sheets” or whatever new term they’re using.

Spent last month tracking three big chains—Marriott sent me on a wild goose chase through an online chart, Hyatt’s FAQ blamed “local variations,” Hilton didn’t even bother replying. Maybe there’s a secret committee somewhere inventing new ways to hide fees. Meanwhile, the headlines say hotel fees are under attack, but I’d bet money you’ll still get charged for “extra” pillow fluffing if you dare to ask.

Understanding the Hidden Cleaning Fee Policy

Tried booking a hotel lately? That price you see isn’t the price you pay. Cleaning fees pop up out of nowhere, usually after you’re already invested and way too tired to start over. Not exactly front-page news, but trust me, it’s everywhere—from budget motels to fancy chains, always hidden in the fine print unless you’re the kind of person who reads every last word.

What Are Cleaning Fees?

So I did a little comparing—Hilton shows off their “low nightly rate,” but then, surprise, there’s a $35 cleaning fee. Not optional, not discussed, just quietly tacked on next to taxes. American Hotel & Lodging Association data from late 2024 says the average cleaning fee at big chains is $25–$40 per stay, which is double what it was a few years ago. Progress?

Sometimes all the staff does is hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign and swap a towel, but you pay the same, even if you’re a neat freak or a total slob. No one warns you. A front desk manager even told me, “Yeah, you’re subsidizing the guests who trash their rooms.” So, great, I’m funding the party animals. Every chain acts like this is normal—like there’s some unwritten rule that cleaning is a bonus feature. Drives me nuts.

Mandatory Fees vs. Optional Charges

Here’s what’s really irritating—there’s zero choice. I keep hoping for a menu of opt-outs, but nope. Cleaning fees are mandatory, always bundled in, and it doesn’t matter if you’re staying one night or a week. The FTC says hotels now have to show these fees up front (check these hidden hotel junk fee rules), but for years it was just a nasty surprise at checkout.

Optional stuff? That’s breakfast, spa, whatever—you can skip those. Cleaning fees? They’re glued to your bill, right next to “resort fee.” Fun fact: most international hotels skip these cleaning fees entirely, but in the U.S., they’re as standard as the tiny shampoo bottles. Why? Nobody will say, and honestly, I’m done asking.

Lack of Transparency in Hotel Chains

I keep tripping over new fees every time I book a hotel—“hospitality fee,” “cleaning fee,” “facility charge.” The numbers never add up. The advertised price, the “service” fee, the daily housekeeping add-on—it’s a mess. Trying to figure out the breakdown is like solving a puzzle where half the pieces are missing and nobody even cares.

How Fees Are Disclosed

Somewhere deep in the booking process, there’s a line about a cleaning fee. It’s like playing “guess what you’ll pay.” Hotels love to toss out “mandatory fee” or “service charge,” and suddenly, the price you saw isn’t even close to what you’re charged. Technically, they “disclose” the fee, but only if you’re willing to click through ten screens and read the fine print.

Supposedly, major chains agreed to show extra charges on the first booking page, but half the time, they only appear right before you pay. My friend swore her all-inclusive covered everything, but she got hit with a “daily use” fee for a pool she never even saw. The front desk just shrugged. “Bait-and-switch” is the polite term. Nobody’s amused.

Opaque Pricing Practices

“Total cost”—what a joke. Hotels drip-feed the price, sneaking in fees after you’ve scrolled through all the pretty photos. The industry’s idea of “transparent pricing” is a bad punchline.

Even with Congress threatening new laws about hotel junk fees, the checkout page still smacks you with surprises. Industry “experts” call it “the illusion of transparency”—show you a base rate, then dump on extras, cross their fingers, and hope you’ll just pay up. My favorite is that little line: “fees may include but are not limited to”—not limited to what, exactly? I’ve worked front desk; nobody trains you to explain “facility charge” to someone who never left their room. All these fees, no clear answers, just a headache.